it is tearily impossible to keep up. up. "first look" is up next. this morning on "first look", hurricane sandy is a major storm that people up and down the east coast better take seriously. we have the latest. polls, promises, and e predictions. and first lady michelle obama gives jimmy kimmel a gentle message to make sure everyone gets up and votes on election day. >> election day! election day! up and at um! good friday morning, everyone.

the east coast is bracing for a direct hit by hurricane sandy. utility companies are busy ma making emergency plans. the storm is churning out in the caribbean where it's being blamed for at least 21 deaths. 11 of those in cuba alone. let's begin with nbc's jay gray. >> reporter: sandy's early warning came as the storm lashed the caribbean. violent winds and driving rains battering the island, cuba taking the most direct hit. >> i have been watching it for the last two or three days. i saw this morning that it's headed this way. >> reporter: models show sandy brush i brushing the mid-atlantic and targeting the east coast early next week. if the forecast holds, new york could take a direct hit. >> we have opened the office of emergency management situation room already. the nyc coastal storm plan was activated early this morning.

>> early signs are showing up in florida. thick clouds and a growing surf. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: and lifeguards warn extremely dangerous. >> every year we have some kind of terrible thing happen where somebody gets injured or killed because they went out in the ocean when it's like this or worse. >> reporter: fearing the worst, preparations have already started. boats being pulled from the water. furniture being strapped down. and emergency operation teams in the region gearing up for a possible strike from sandy. >> communication, coordination, and preparation. >> reporter: residents are getting ready as well. a wish now shared by millions along the east coast working, watching and waiting for sandy. jay gray, nbc news. >> waiting and preparing. bill, you're tracking sandy as it heads towards the u.s. what's the latest? >> good morning to you. 24 hours ago, it was looking

like northern new england will be in the mix. the forecast has gotten much worse further south. we have the new advisory from the hurricane center. the 5:00 a.m. east coast advisory, they are put out every six hours through the life of the storm. it doesn't look like much of a hurricane anymore. it still is. but the northern side of the storm looks like a hurricane with the thunderstorms. the southern side already is sucking in the dry air and it looks like a hybrid storm already. so sandy the hybrid hurricane will be more appropriate. it will be that way throughout its life cycle. as far as the stats, it's east of miami florida. north winds at 13. the forecast path from here slows it down during the day today. it's not going to move too much. it accelerates to the northeast as we go throughout the day on saturday into sunday. just off the east coast of north carolina as a hurricane monday.

it's after that that it turns back towards the u.s. what has changed from the hurricane center, they have shifted the cone of uncertainty ever so slightly to the south. so as far as a direct hit, it most likely will be the enginje shore down to washington, d.c. some of the most populated areas in the united states. not where you want it heading. it's not going to be like a typical cone where the center is the concern, but a big, broad storm that even up in boston, they'll have problems with waves and surge. these all target the mi mid-atlantic. >> still a few days away, bill, thanks. as the election race enters the final stretch, one new poll shows mitt romney with an edge over president obama. according to a new abc news "washington post" poll 50% of likely voters now support governor romney versus 47% who favor the president.

yesterday the president wrapped up a two-day campaign blitz with a stop in chicago. he cast his early ballot. this is a first for a presidential nominee. and yesterday in accordance with early voting laws, e he did have to show his i.d. mitt romney made three stops in ohio on thursday. he told voters this campaign is about families and said his main goal is getting people back to work. >> i want regulators to see their job as encouraging business, not attacking business. i want more jobs. my priority is jobs, jobs, jobs. we're going to get them here in ohio. brian williams spent the past few days with the president on the campaign trail. while on air force one, the president talked to brian about the election versus the job itself. >> it's funny. one of the things about being on the campaign trail, you're in

air force one, marine one, these big motorcades. michelle jokes that i have everything but a caboose and a dog sled behind me wherever i'm driving. none of that is the presidency. the presidency is all about who's going to fight for the american people every single day. even when you've got to make tough decisions that are unpopular because you have some compass about what this campaign can be. there are mistakes i've made every single day. but my compass has been true and i've focused on what's going to be best for the american people. >> here's a look at the other news going on around america. e we begin in georgia where things for one family got much worse. preparing to move out, they

posted a craig's list ad for a give away of furniture and other household tums outside the house. but big crowds showed up early while the family was gone. they broke into the house and they cleaned it out and stole practically all of their belongings. now to southern california. also unreal. we're not a bird or a plane but a two-foot long shark fell from the sky and flopped on to the 12th tee of a golf course. the leopard shark was plucked from the ocean by a bird and dropped on to san juan hills golf club. they placed the shark in a bucket of water before snapping a photo and returning it to sea. >> they think a bird did that? finally in new york, people will finally be able to visit lady liberty's head starting sunday.

it will be open thursday through sunday each week and reservations are required. this sunday may be not the best choice with sandy headed up this way. for a look at your national weather, once again, bill karins with that forecast. >> a lot of people want to know the timing. like when will the destruction happen. friday and saturday are the prep days. sunday it will go downhill. here's the computer. the brighter colors show the extremely heavy rains. that was where the center of the storm would be. as we go throughout monday midnight into tuesday. so late monday, the rain rates will really intensify in the mid-atlantic. this storm has the system going more or less going towards the jersey shore. then inland the rains pound the chesapeake. that's where the flash flooding would be the highest. at this time, if that landfall was in southern jersey, the winds would be overnight monday

into tuesday morning. coastal areas of connecticut and long island. this gives you a gist of the north side of the storm. >> such a huge area. >> you're not going to win. if you're near the storm, you're going to get some. another reason aspirin is good for you and a story that truly goes beyond any family's worst nightmare. your headlines are straight ahead. plus where is the economy headed with days until election? details straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] inside the v8 taste lab.

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some stories making news this morning. police say a nanny at a luxury new york city apartment building stabbed two small children to death in a bathtub and then stabbed herself. the nanny is hospitalized in critical condition. the children's mother arrived home to find the devastating scene before police were called.

a federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a ruling to allow texas to withhold women's health care funding from planned parenthood clinics because the organization also performs abortion. rick perry said the state would immediately halt funding. some victims said they were sexually abused by the late children's tv host jimmy saifl. the bbc has become under scrutiny recently. joe biden campaigns in wisconsin and first lady michelle obama attends a private fundraiser in california. governor romney campaigns in iowa and paul ryan is in alabama before they both head back to ohio for a rally. ann romney will be in virginia. now here's your first look at the dish of scram canabble o

politics. president obama got a little raw in describing mitt romney. he was asked about lowering the voting age to include children. his response included a word we had to sensor for tv. he said you know kids have good instincts. they look at the other guy and they say that's a blank i can tell. the campaign does not deny the comment. last night on "the daily show" nancy pelosi introduced a new phrase to describe romney. >> the president calls it romnesia. i have my own mittology. >> tina fey ripped into senate candidates todd akin after his comments about rape. >> if i have to listen to one

more grave faced man with a $2 haircut tell me what rape is, i'm going to lose my mind. >> john sununu suggested race could have been a decision in backing president obama. early this morning sununu put out a statement saying he has no doubt powell's endorsement was based on the president's policies. >> a former member of joe biden's staff has written a tell-all book. he bashes biden as a, quote, democrat determined to manage his staff through fear. an aid says the vice president has not raised the book. and a study finds those tweeting for president obama tend to be womened a red lob ster while romney's twitter backers are men who prefer dining at arby's drinking coors

light. that's your scramble politics. here's a look at how wall street will round out the week. the dow added 26 points yesterday. the s&p and nasdaq were up 4. markets overseas finished their day friday. in tokyo the nikkei sank 122 points while the hank seng dropped. apple missed estimates again thanks to lower ipad sales. it raises the question. is this a big apple miss or a buying opportunity? rival samsung reported record profit thanks to sales of galaxy smart phones. the government reports its final preelection snapshot of economic growth today. yesterday weekly jobless claims

fell but new home contracts came in lower than expected. a new report from the national association of manufacturers finds the economy has already lost nearly one million jobs this year due to the fiscal cliff even though it's still two months away. they are betting congress won't act in time so they are cutting back on spending. that could cost the economy six million jobs by 2014. bank of america is one of nine banks being subpoenaed over manipulation. microsoft's surface tablet hits stores today. starting price? $499. retailers are already running low on the holiday season's hottest toys thanks to a surge in lay aways. the leap pad 2 and hot wheels are popular choices. tom hanks unleashes a big

one. plus some scary moments as a sering line drive nails doug fister right in the head. sports is next. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. in america today we're running out of a vital resource we need to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone's ready with the know how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪

games to none lead which gives them a 79% chance of taking it all. let's begin in the second inning. a wicked line drive hit doug fister right in the head there. that looks painful. but he said he was fine and

pitched six scoreless innings against the giants. the giant hs their rally caps on and a double play scores the first run of the game for san francisco. the giants got an insurance run in the eighth and their bullpen closed out the tigers. >> giants up 2-0. >> the final score, 2-0. game three is saturday night. "thursday night football," bucs and vikings. josh freeman hits williams who just gets his feet in. the bucs shock the vikings. toj boyd of clemson threw for a school record five touchdown passes. clemson won 42-13.

and free tacos for everyone. when angel of the giants stole second base last night, he won free tacos for america. taco bell will be giving them away next tuesday. now for another look at the weather, here is bill karins with that busy forecast. good morning, bill. >> we keep talking about the impacts of the midatlantic, but florida is going to get slapped pretty good. we have tropical storm-force winds along the beach. the pictures of the surf, it will be getting whipped up there. north we'll see the strong winds. the hurricane is only 200 miles due east of florida. going to be a lot of beach erosion there today. the rest of the forecast across the map looks like a quiet day. temperatures are chilly in the great lakes.

the new update from the national hurricane center, the cone of uncertainty includes new york city, washington, d.c., all the way down to richmond. it looks a little better for northern new england, but the main exact will be north of where the center of landfall is. a devastating blow monday and tuesday. storm surge and a lot of heavy rain. just ahead, a very funny michelle obama. plus what's behind taylor swift's latest split? jimmy fallon has fun with it. you're watching "first look," on msnbc. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms.

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time for entertainment news.

"silent hill" will probably have trouble topping "argo" this weekend. and "cloud atlas" is getting great buzz. did you see this last night? michelle obama appeared on jim mel kimmel. she told him about her plan in case he forgets to vote. >> election day! election day! up and at um! get your shoes on! >> all right, okay. >> go vote! out the door! and eat some carrots. pipa middleton attended a launch party for the release of her first book about party planning and recipes. jessica biel says she plans to go the tra dils route and take new hubby justin

timberlake's last name. and finally, we knew this was coming, 22-year-old taylor swift and 18-year-old connor kennedy have called it quits after just a few months of dating. because of the distance and her busy schedule. is that really why? connor just saved himself. tmz says she plans to buy that $4.5 million home across from kennedy. what was the distance issue? last night jimmy fallon had had one with the break up. >> when asked about the break up, taylor swift just handed him a ipod and say play track six. >> a source close to the kennedy family says she was going too fast. if you're buying a home in three months, you're going too fast.

>> "way too early" is next. president obama and mitt romney canvas the crucial swing state of ohio as new battleground polls show the president's lead has all but disappeared. the question is does this election have the potential to be the closest in modern history? if you live in the northeast hurricane sandy is heading your way threatening to ruin halloween with what forecasters are calling a frankenstorm. and wednesday it was the kung few panda. last night the best of the detroit tigers. the question is could the e prediction of tigers in five could be his worst ever? yeah, it's possible. and it's also "way too early" for this.